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Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:25pm

REPORT by dan burbank on February 1, 2009 at 4:55pm

OK Monte,

I live in the pacific northwest. Boeing is slashing 10,000 jobs world wide. Microsoft slashed 7,000. WAMU helped cause the mortgage crisis. I think in Seattle they slashed 5,000 in town. We are getting hammered. BUt, there is a lot, A LOT of wealth here so when the shell shock is over, I suspect it will rebound nicely.
We have a Growth management law in Washington so we are technically not allowed to eat up all out open spaces to sprawl. Why is this good you ask? High "quality" of living and house prices will continue to go up. Good for me, a home owner, bad for people who are not. That, as we all know is a hugh part of the economic picture.
I work in the printing industry. It is dying. The internet has eaten into the "catalog" market, our primary revenue generator. On top of that, electronic file transfer, increased bandwidth, means the industry as a whole, including my compay, is off shoring good middle class jobs. We, in my shop are doing as many if not more pages as we did when I started working there 10 years ago, with 1/3 the people. That is right, my shop is 2/3rds gone. I am living the American nightmare of off shoring on top of the sinking economy. Ye ha brother. As long as companies are allowed to NOT count the true cost of doing business, we are all at risk, at least us who are is jobs that can be sent over seas. Fortunately for many of the green jobers, like you my friend, you can't off shore the drywall process. ;0)

How is that for a report?

dan

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:27pm

REPORT by Chris Lewis on February 1, 2009 at 5:10pm

What is it like here. Sad, very, very sad. Luna Pier is on Lake Erie. A wonderful fresh water lake teeming with walleye, perch and dozens of other fish. I live on some prime real estate on an island with 54 feet of dock with lake access. There are only a dozen homes in this little town with lake access from their own property. I had my house on the market for six months and had only ONE looker. Real estate agents are working as cashiers and bag people at the grocery stores. We have 25 foreclosures a month. That means every other house is EMPTY. The other half have For Sale signs. The last house that almost got sold appraised for 40 k less than the buyer bid. Of course we who remain have had all our utilities doubled to make up for the lost tax payers. Jobs? Are you kidding? A job at McDonalds is fought over. The saying here is, "The last one to leave Michigan turn the lights off." We have new No Plow No Salt rules. Only if the sun is shining do they plow and only if it's warm do they salt. Today the paper said 'Do not travel unless it's an emergency'. Indeed, it would take an emergency for me to drive in the snow. :Last time I drove to a doctor appointment in the snow I got clipped by a pick up truck going 35 mph. My back still hurts. People are going hungry, a trip to the grocery store is most depressing. People dressed very shabby. The price of meat has turned me into a vegetarian.

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:30pm

REPORT by Joseph Chiang on February 1, 2009 at 7:30pm

OK Monte.

Yes, I'm in Covington, VA, about 3 hours from DC. The local economy has been going into the toilet for 30 years. The local "we don't want progress" group have the political machine frozen. The local governments that must work together to turn this around, aren't.

The school system is seeing a steady decline in student population. The new HS project has been canceled. The students who understand what is going on are getting their education to get out of the area. Those that don't get it aren't.

The local McDonalds is running ads to try and boost business. However, local restaurants are holding their own.

Education nation wide is being hit hard. School districts are being hit with a $1 mill to $20 mill drop in budget. Teachers are studying their district's RIF policy. Student to teacher ratios are going from 15-20:1 to 20-25:1 to compensate for the loss of funds. Quality of education will drop. NCLB is not stopping and what will happen to schools is unknown.

I would like to move to another school district, but all school districts may be RIFing teachers. Hard to go in when teachers are leaving.

I'll place a small ad for myself here. The Virginia EOC is called thew SOL test. My algebra 1 SOL 3 years average is 95% pass rate. What I would really like is a school system where I can help raise the district math pass rate to my 95% level preferably as a consultant. So far, no districts seem interested in district improvement in their math scores either by a consultant or employee. Go figure.

I developed a method to teach fractions just before Congressional inquiries were asking why students couldn't do fractions. I emailed every Federal DOE, and VA DOE and Congressmen and Senators investigating math education. Not one would so much as respond to my email. I think the inquiries are just for show. It seems to me the educational community actually does NOT want students to learn. I was ordered to improve my 96% pass rate last year to the department Algebra 1 pass rate of 83%.

I guess I'm venting a little. Maybe an investor will want to finance a concept model of my flying car and we'll be off in that direction. I'm praying to God for His direction in what He wants me to do.

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:32pm

REPORT by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on February 2, 2009 at 3:43am

"Mike, you live in Saco, Maine and if I understand correctly you are in the drywall business. Tell me, how has the recession affected your business, others you know and the town of Saco?" -Monte

Its no different here than anywhere else from what I see, I have been self-employed for 30 years and have gone though two recessions Had to let go of 6 sub contractors because the work in new homes and rehab work is not there Most needing my services have become DIY home owners that's the ones that still have homes.

Another thing I see is a couple of years ago home owners took advantage of the rise in value of their home and refinanced but did not re invest their equity I guess they thought the home value would keep going up, Not stopping to think!!

In a way I saw the writing on the wall and bought two mobile homes and made it easy for the buyers to afford them, at least I have a part of my mortgage covered unless they lose their jobs.

In Detroit Mi you can find homes right now for $1.00 each maybe this might be a good time to buy some of these Gov homes rehab them To SEE standards and put people back in them, I suppose you would have to find out what programs are available.
Something to consider for you Tradesman out there.

Example:
The Agency providing the care givers hire young kids in school or ones who have no education to care for our boys. My thought or Plan would be to have these kids that want to pursue a career in genetic diseases under the Obama Call to Service program provide their service as a care giver for an Education. This would lift some of the burden from these kids wanting to learn. Right now the drop out rate for kids is 1 in 3 thats not good.

The same would work for kids wanting to learn the building trade.
Please forgive my writing skills,

My thoughts.
Mike

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:34pm

REPORT by cecil friend on February 2, 2009 at 6:00am

AND NOW , the rest of the story, I live here in southern florida, and am retired, living on s/s and savings.....taxes are extremely high, services and food and shelter also....however, based on ones needs or wants you have choices to either live within your means or adjust to the current financial enviroment....for myself i visit the local barnes&noble book store for entertainment and information, I visit my spiritual place of worship often during the week , which is a great community caregiver as well as place of sharing inspiration..and i make it a condition every day to physcially exercise and workout....I find it gives me many benefits mentally , emotionally, and physcially...I find the people here in southern florida are like the people elsewhere i have lived , they are either working , looking for work, dont believe in working, or cannot work and on some type of care stipend, family or govt....tourism is a large factor here during the winter season...it is noticable at the beach and the restaurants and shops...my judgements, perhaps a third less...than previous years, housing is stalled, but rents are high and going strong for medium & upper quality housing. lower quality housing rentals are cheap with good terms, no security, ist month free etc....the new housing boom, is perhaps 10% of what it was when they were shoveling money out the door to developers, and it will most likely take a year to 18 months to work off the backlog , most likely to foreigners who are bidding on the foreclosures , relly bargains for them , as well as the few american folks who have the means to take advantage of the bargain prices....i find the people here are resilient, hopeful but cautious, which is really a great survival instinct, one great advantage and musing....I find it great to deal with the local service people, no more ridicilous inflated goughing of pricing for plumbing , electrical, or roofing repairs....it appears some things are blessings in these times that our government willfully gave us supposedly for our best interests...thank you monte...take care....cecil

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:35pm

REPORT by Anita Adams on February 2, 2009 at 2:59pm

Hello, everyone! I live in Stockton, CA, ( Northern CA), 90 miles inland from San Francisco. According to the larger media, Stockton is FIRST in the nation in foreclosures. The local newspaper doesn't talk about that very much. I'm on disability and living on SS. I have a woman that helps me and she gets paid through a state program called In Home Supportive Services. According to the Governator, that program WON'T be funded anymore, effective in June, I guess. So, seniors will suffer, workers out of work, administrators of the program out of work. It's a small agency but it effects me personally. We, on a fixed income, had a scare, when I read in the paper that the state would not pay us our Supplemental Security Income payment of $297.00 on Feb. 1st. I was very nervous, but the payment was there. The people who get income tax refunds are NOT going to get theirs. No one has said if this is permanent or they get an IOU or not. Finally, this stimulus package has not come out and said it will give the poor, on fixed incomes, a rebate, like we got last year. I got $300.00 and was able to get my computer, and I'm back on the internet in a big way, which has improved my quality of life! I could sure use another $300.00. Most of us on fixed incomes do not get income tax refunds. Because of the foreclosures and families moving out of certain neighborhoods, the school district is talking about closing two schools, shifting children and staff around. Of course, everyone is upset about that. The good thing about CA, of course, is the weather, which today, is 65 and sunny. I'm barefoot with my doors and windows open. Having just returned from a trip to Arkansas (before the ice storm) I will NEVER take good weather for granted again. This is my first report. I'll keep everone informed about budget cuts, etc. If you want to know something else about CA, just ask and I'll do my best to find out. anita

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:36pm

REPORT by J. Brown on February 3, 2009 at 6:27am

What's it like in Houston?

Three months ago, we were recovering from Ike and that kept the building trades in good shape. Also, lots of renters for existing housing that wasn't damaged.
High gas prices before Sept 08 drove high profits for ExxonMobil and other direct oil/refining plays, while causing problems for the guys (e.g. lyondellbasell) who were heavily on the chemicals side.
Also, 3 weeks without power and damage to facilities hurt every business in Houston, large or tiny. Those with the good sense to be properly insured came out OK on the property damage side, but most small businesses don't carry business interruption insurance, so either the employees had 3 weeks with no income or the business paid payroll for 3 weeks with no work - neither likely to keep the city solvent. The power outages caused as much economic loss as the winds.
4th QTR results have most big employers cutting back here. Retail and entertainment is off. Housing is starting to be a problem. Commercial and multifamily properties where the owners are hurting still have blue tarps on unrepaired roofs. Indeed, the city has condemned several apartment complexes because insolvent owners couldn’t pay to have them repaired. If their insurance didn’t pay for a full fix, homeowners are stopping repairs to conserve cash.
I’d say we’re 6 months behind CA on the crash, but we’ve definitely moved into the steep part of the down slope and are falling with no end in sight. No idea yet if it’s a hard bump at the bottom or a sheer drop over a cliff face.

On a more optimistic note. Houston is now run by a business man who doesn’t like to make the same mistake twice. A task force on power reliability has already identified shovel ready projects to harden our grid and to use micro-grids centered around renewable and non-renewable backup generation to power critical facilities in the neighborhoods. The project to install smart meters so that the utility can monitor outages and begin switching small-scale renewable generation back into the grid has been accelerated. The state utility commission has just approved the construction of transmission lines from W TX wind farms – those turbines are not much good if we can’t get the power into the grid.

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:38pm

REPORT by Tom Bailey on February 3, 2009 at 2:02pm

Things here in and around Fredericksburg Va are almost at snail speed. Home values have tumbled and so many are upsidedown. Thought that was only a vehicle thing.

We have so many foreclouseres.
Our sons had started a excavating busn 4 years ago. They hung on as long as we could but livin on ramen noodles and letting bills float by lead to the equipment being reposeded which got sold it at auction for pennies on the dollar and Cat is comming after us for the difference.
The school system is comming undone with one budget after another. Counties are almost bankrupt.
I'm glad to say the rich are makin out ok the are the ones buyin the foreclosures and all the stuff that's getting reposesed. They are gettin it for pennies on the dollar.

Oh well lifes full of hurdles. As for our fearless leaders.
I believe there are; greedy, self absorbed crooks at every level of the gov food chain. I hate to say it but it seems kind of inevitable with the given need for and power that comes with a given job/level in the Gov food chain game, and they have perfected total caios.
Tom

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:41pm

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on February 4, 2009 at 4:02am

Hey Tom

Your not alone Im one house payment away from losing all I have worked for 30 years to acomplish and it can all be taken away in a matter of seconds, I think the trick is to not hold to Material things as a top priority somethings just can not be taken away no matter what happens and that is Honor, Respect, Dignity, and willingness to do what no one else wants to do just because its the right thing to do..

No worries we will get though it.

Mike

Everyday is a new day and you never know what is going to happen. :o}

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:39pm

REPORT by Gregory L. Smith on February 3, 2009 at 2:40pm

Just finished several meetings in Oklahoma City discussing the viability of a National Renewable Energy Lab in Oklahoma and my hopes are getting a lot higher! The leaders I spoke with, want it, but also want the infrastructure capable of supporting and evaluating the work that evolves from the very steady efforts that come, once one is established. My next move is to establish the foundation I mentioned on my page and get support from the Educational systems all over the state. It is a real "go" if enough competent scientists and educators support the premise that Oklahoma is ready to establish and immediately develop a revenue producing multi-purpose system for Oklahoma, the region (SW) and for the National interests of advancing Science, New Fuel systems, new experiments for space to test energy theories, and supporting industries that will eventually gravitate to the easy access and wide open areas that Oklahoma can provide for an enormous range of sciences and industry. I am pumped for input and criticism, since that is how I will know it has growing to accomplish. Obviously, the Dept. of Energy isn't just going to cut us a check and say, "Build it, they will come!" No, they will cry and complain that Oklahoma is the "backwaters" of America in Chemistry and Science skills. And they will be proven wrong! Our scientists have great acclaim and several are Rhodes Scholars. Maybe even Nobel Prize winners in various fields. But, if it grows the economy as it should, it will quiet criticism about money spent on Green technology and Conservation processes. We need help, but we also thank you all for your encouraging responses, since even critics are happy about the possibilities of a platform that is both local and even International within just a few years. Still, let me know what you think and give good data on how to get it done. I will be very grateful, but so will America. Thanks! Gregor Smith gregors@att.net

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:43pm

Comment by Chris Lewis on February 5, 2009 at 7:32pm

I just caught up on this thread. I had no idea it was this bad all over. My solution and for most of you others is skinny down. Well I go one step further and say, band together. My grandparents always had a relative from sibling to cousin living together. They KNEW how to survive and they never forgot the depression. They paid cash for everything or it didn't get bought. I know they're all turning over in their graves by all we have done. Even my parents didn't buy anything on credit but our little shoebox home. We need to get back to the basics. During WW ll everyone had a 'Victory Garden' instead of a grass lawn. Grow your own. Can, freeze and dehydrate your bounty. Where ever possible get a few chickens and other farm animals that are easy to care for. Barter.Yes the good old American way when barn raising parties were held to build a neighbor a barn. You have a skill or your good with the land, swap for what you need. We are Americans by golly. We must share and help each other out and we WILL survive.

Permalink Reply by Monte Smith on February 20, 2009 at 4:46pm

Comment by J. Brown on February 6, 2009 at 11:56am

Chris,

A friend from Argentina asked me what contingency plans I'm developing in case we had a total financial collapse with no money available anywhere, so I’ve been thinking about worst case contingency plans.
When I do planning, I tell my clients "have a back up plan", "have an exit strategy", "have an alternative if this innovative idea doesn't quite work out". I don't do that in a pessimistic way; I do it to help clarify the plan and develop a realistic assessment of the real risk. Dangerous things are a lot less intimidating if you look at the risks with clear eyes.

I think it's way too late to plan for exit strategies now in the way I wanted clients to put it into their annual planning process. I don't think I could have talked anybody into developing a contingency plan for this sort of melt down 18 months ago, partly because I'm not sure I could have convinced my self then it was worth the time to work on such a low probability event in annual planning. We do disaster recovery planning on low probability events, but that's like a hurricane, not an economic disaster and you do it once and then there's just minimal resources each year to do a quick update.

Since we didn't have an exit strategy before the fact, I guess that means now that you didn't do a graceful exit and you didn't have any backup system to switch to, it's a different thought process. I was just working with a city committee looking at ways to get power back after a hurricane in less than 2-3 weeks. I plan to think about where the same underlying principles apply.

We’re in a closely coupled, complex system which is usually, eventually, self-correcting. Interventions can push toward corrections or push the system more rapidly down the spiral, maybe into destruction. Complex systems aren’t called chaotic for nothing. Governments don't have a track record of constructive interventions.
I do hope that as critical mass grows, we could work together to do two things.

1) Engage in small, constructive actions to push back against the tide - not in the "control the universe" sense, but by introducing small perturbations that disrupt the feedback loop.

2) Decouple the system where possible. There are banks that are perfectly solvent. They got there by decoupling from the feedback whirlpool before it drew them down with everybody else. We could make sure we move are funds to those institutions.

A small perturbation example is something like starting a community garden as an alternative to food stamps for the unemployed. Decoupling from commercial food distribution, but more importantly decoupling from "helpless victim".

At a larger scale, thousands of Texas coastal ranches are still out of commission because of hurricane damage. Perhaps work groups of unemployed could get them back running in return for food. Building Fences in the Texas Bayou...’til the Cows Come Home. Farmers from across the US have been helping, but maybe it’s time for us city softies to get off our duffs and do something besides grip.

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